Sunday, April 28, 2019

Answer to Case 542

Answer to Parasite Case of the Week 542: Acanthamoeba sp. trophozoite and cysts

The free-living amebae, Acanthamoeba species and Naegleria fowleri (but not Balamuthia mandrillaris) can be grown on non-nutrient agar overlain with bacteria to provide a food source for the organisms. In this case, the presence of a characteristic double-walled cyst and trophozoite, along with the source (corneal scrapings) allow us to identify this ameba as an Acanthamoeba species.
We sadly did away with our free-living amebae culture a while back and replaced it with a multiplex real-time PCR assay. It's faster than culture, while providing equal sensitivity, so it is better for patient care. However, I do miss seeing these cool organisms grow in culture!

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4 comments:

  1. Blaine A. MathisonMay 3, 2019 at 8:43 PM

    We do culture at our facility and we get positives on average, once a month!

    ReplyDelete
  2. watrounyMay 4, 2019 at 12:04 AM

    Once a month? Are these all cornea scrapings?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Blaine A. MathisonMay 4, 2019 at 4:06 PM

    yes, or other ocular specimens (e.g. swabs). We are a high-volume reference lab so our % positive is actually low.

    ReplyDelete
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